Navigating the 2nd Trump Administration
It’s been awhile.
I needed a break from politics and current events for awhile. To be more specific, I needed a break from blogging about those things. The election was brutal for many of us and I needed to remind myself that there’s a lot more to life than people screaming at each other on how to divide our country’s and world’s resources. Maybe you needed a break too.
That being said, I’m never away for long. I’ve begun my descent back into blogging.
First, I’d like to point out a few media sources that may be helpful to you as we navigate the 2nd Trump presidency.
1. Axios: Co-founded by Oshkosh Lourdes graduate Jim VanDehei, Axios covers almost anything via bite sized articles or email bulletins throughout the day. They are often among the first to get breaking information, which I’ve found to be quite accurate.
2. CNN Senior Data Reporter Harry Enten: Enten breaks down highly emotional topics with cold, hard data in 3–5 minute segments. I’ve linked to him multiple times throughout election season.
3. Politico: Left leaning, Politico functions similarly to Axios. The night of the Biden-Trump debate, they had an article detailing several Democrat insiders panicking over Biden’s chances of victory.
4. BillO’Reilly.com: Right leaning, O’Reilly has a daily broadcast that covers most of the day’s happenings in 45 minutes or less. He also has a radio show modeled after the great Paul Harvey and daily messages. He often has guests who disagree with him.
5. Chris Cillizza: The former Washington Post and CNN reporter now is independent. So far, he has provided clarity in bite sized segments, like Enten does. For instance, he astutely laid out a plausible path for Kamala Harris after her 2024 presidential loss.
6. 538: Named for the number of presidential electors, 538 has a lot of data-driven discussion and daily polls, which are especially helpful if you’re short on time.
7. Silver Bulletin: Founded by Nate Silver, the founder of 538, the Silver Bulletin functions similarly to 538, with plenty of data-driven articles that don’t take a century to read.
These sources frequently mention the sources they use, so if they don’t cut it for you, you’ll find something that will.
Next, I wanted to give some comments about the upcoming Trump administration. The election was understandably heated, with all political stripes concerned about authoritarianism.
Donald Trump is far from a dictator. His first Attorney General nominee, Matt Gaetz, dropped out after enough Republicans indicated their opposition. Other controversial nominees, such as Fox News host Pete Hegseth and environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr, are far from locks. The Senate is not going to give up its “advice and consent” role lightly. Trump cannot get whatever he wants. Gaetz’s nomination lasted barely over a week, not even making it to the Senate.
The Republicans have a narrow majority in the House (222–213) and Senate (53–47). Not all of them are aligned with Trump- in fact, any unity during the election could evaporate during his term. Chris Cillizza covered 7 Senators who could cause problems with Trump. If Trump loses 4, Cabinet appointments and other initiatives would fail. Whether he likes it or not, Trump is limited by the other branches of government.
Furthermore, Trump has a remarkable ability to burn through people, which weakens his political capital. During his first term, he had 92% turnover among his “A team” (non-Cabinet advisors such as Chief of Staff and Press Secretary) and the highest turnover of Cabinet secretaries since 1980. As for lower level appointees, Trump had a 24% turnover rate, slightly higher than Obama’s 20%. These figures don’t include his public spats with Republicans outside the executive branch, such as former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.
Democrats at the state level have vowed to oppose the Trump agenda, including multiple governors. “Border Czar” Tom Homan replied that they should “get the hell out of the way” because deportations are going to happen whether they like it or not. Clashes between state and federal authorities could get ugly and become a PR nightmare for the Republicans. I encourage you to watch an interview Homan had with Newsmax reporter Chris Cuomo for more details on what’s going to be one of the most controversial aspects of Trump 2.0. (Not only does the interview have a lot of information, but is also an example of two differing perspectives having a civil discussion, which this country needs after a divisive campaign.)
At the citizen level, Trump could easily lose supporters if his 2nd term is as chaotic as its first. Many moderates voted for Trump expecting economic relief and action on illegal immigration. If they don’t get results, the Democrats could win them back in 2026 and 2028. There are some early signs that Trump will focus on things these voters may not care much about. For instance, the Washington Post reported that Trump’s Justice Department will investigate the 2020 election for voter fraud. Outside the MAGA base (which is about 35–40% of Trump’s support), it’s not a popular issue.
Hopefully, these media sources and preview of Trump’s administration were helpful to you. I strive to be a resource these next four years.
Buckle yourself in- 2025 is going to be a wild ride!